Method and apparatus for producing distorted images



may 2, 1923 Ga L. CHANHER METHOD AND APPARATUS FCiR PHODUC ENG DISTORTED IMAGES WITNESSES A TTOR/VEYS Patented May 29, 1923.

V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GASTON L. CHANIER, OF SHORT HILLS, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGN OR TO PATHE INC., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING DISTORTED IMAGES.

Application filed April 18, 1922. Serial No. 554,683.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GASTON L. CHANIER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Short Hills, in the county of Essexand State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Method and Apparatus for Producing Distorted Images. of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for producing distorted images, and has for an object particularly the provision of a simple, eflicient, durable means whereby moving pictures can be taken of a given object so that the image of this object in a reflector can be distorted in any desired manner to produce the required effect in the camera.

Another object resides in the provision of a simple apparatus to produce the above effect which is inexpensive to make and assemble and very easy to operate.

' drawings is a.

reflecting surface. This reflecto A further object resides in the provision of apparatus whereby a very wide range of effect can be produced in the matter of distorting an im ge. v

A still further object resides in the particular construction and arrangement of parts which are hereinafter described and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawin s.

The invention is illustrated in the drawings, of whichigure 1 is a diagrammatic view of the arrangement of the various elements in taking a moving picture of an object in accordance with my method.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation.

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the lined- 1 of Fig. 3.

The form of the invention shown in the referred form, although it is understood t at modifications in the construction and arrangement of the parts and in the character of the materials used may be adopted without departing from the spirit 0 the invention.

The invention primarily and in the most preferred form comprises a flexible sheet of material 1, one face of which is preferably highly polished to provide a veii'iy good r is exible,

and against the rear face thereof, preferably substantially central respective thereto, the end of a bar 2 bears. This end is preferably provided with a rounded head 3. This bar 2 extends rearwardly and is mounted in any suitable clamping member 4 disposed on a suitable pedestal or platform 5 and having a universal joint such as 6 whereby any desired movement of the bar 2 can be effected. Along this bar or supporting member 2 are disposed a plurality of slidable collars such as 7 and 8 which have clamping nuts such as Q thereon. These collars are provided with eye bolts 10 to which one end of links 11 are connected. The other end of these links are fastened to eyes 12 connected to clips or clamping members 13. These clips 13 may be fastened at any suitable point to the edges of the reflector sheet 1. Preferably each clamping collar is provided with a pair of links 11 which extend into clips 13 disposed opposite to each other along the edges of the reflector. Furthermore, the pair of links extendin from one collar will be disposed in one p ane and, preferably, the pair of links extending from the other collar will be disposed in a plane at right angles to the previous pair. A sto collar such as 14 can be disposed on the bar 2 and adjusted at any point to limit the movement of the movablecollars 7 and 8.

It can be readily seen that any number of collars can be provided and have links extending to clips disposed along the edges of the sheet at any number of points, although the arrangement shown in the drawings is generally suflicient to meet all requlrements. Assumin that the front face of this deflector is higiily polished, and considering Fig. 1, 15 will represent an object of which a desired image is to be produced and snapped in a camera 16, which may be and preferably is a motion picture camera. If the object 15 is a person talking or moving, the position of the object with respect to the camera and the reflector surface is such thatthe image will be properly re ceived by the camera. When the camera is started, the reflector sheet is referably manipulated by means of the s idable collars, so that it can be flexed in a variety of manners to distort the image of the object 15 EXCHANGE,

which is reflected into the camera 16; lin this way very ludicrous results have been obtained.

What I claim is:

1. A device for producing distorted images, which includes a flexible sheet of reflecting material, a shaft or bar one end of which bears against the rear face of the sheet and extends therefrom, slidable members disposed on said bar, and connections extending between each of said slidable members and the sheet whereby the movement of the members will cause the flexing of the sheet, the connections from one member adapted to extend to different edges of the sheet than the connections extending from another slidable member.

2. A device for producing distorted images, which comprises a flexible reflecting sheet, a shaft extending rearwardly from said sheet and having an end bearing thereagainst, slidable members on said shaft, and a pair of connections extending from each of said members and to the edges of the sheet whereby the movement of the members will cause the flexing of the sheet, each pair of said connections extending to different and opposite edges of the sheet.

3. A device for producing distorted images, which comprises a flexible reflecting sheet of material, a supporting member bearing against the rear face of the sheet and extending therefrom, slidable members on said supporting member, and connections between the slidable members and the edges of the sheet whereby the movement of the sliding members will flex the sheet, each connection extending to different and oppo-' site edges of the sheet.

4:. A device for producing distorted images, which comprises a flexible reflecting sheet, a supporting bar one end of which bears substantially centrally against the neeaeoe rear face of the sheet, slidable members on said bar, and a pair of links or connections extending from each of the slidable members to opposite edges of the sheet whereby the movement of the slidable members will flex the sheet around the end of the supporting bar, each pair of links extending to differentand opposite edges of the sheet.

5. A device for producing images, which comprises a flexible reflecting sheet of material, a supporting bar or member having one end bearing against the rear face of the sheet, slidable members on the supporting member, and a pair of connections extending from each slidable member and fastened respectively to opposite edges of the sheet whereby the movement of the slidable members will cause a flexing of the sheet around given lines the pair of connections from one member extending to different edges than the other pair of connections.

6. A device for producing distorted images, which includes a flexible reflecting sheet, a bar supported at one end and bearing at the other end against the central portion of the flexible sheet, a pair of slidable collars movable along the bar, means for clamping said collars on said bar in any desired position, and .a pair of links connecting each collar with opposite edges of the flexible sheet, the pair of links from one collar connecting said collar to opposite edges of the sheet in one plane and the pair of links from the other collar connecting the other collar with the flexible sheet along opposite edges in a plane at right angles to the first mentioned plane, the movement of said collars at the will of the operator causing a flexing of the sheet around two axial lines at right angles to each other.

GASTUN L. CHANIER.

distorted 

